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Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Edmonton's last 9 games
Edmonton is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Edmonton is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Edmonton's last 11 games on the road
Edmonton is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing British Columbia
Edmonton is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing British Columbia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Edmonton's last 9 games when playing British Columbia
Edmonton is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
Edmonton is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against British ColumbiaBritish Columbia Lions
British Columbia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
British Columbia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of British Columbia's last 9 games
British Columbia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
British Columbia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
British Columbia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Edmonton
British Columbia is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 6 of British Columbia's last 9 games when playing Edmonton
British Columbia is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing at home against Edmonton
British Columbia is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Edmonton

Friday, August 10

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Hamilton is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Hamilton is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Hamilton's last 6 games on the road
Hamilton is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Hamilton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing on the road against WinnipegWinnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games
Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Winnipeg is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games at home
Winnipeg is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Hamilton
Winnipeg is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing at home against Hamilton

Saturday, August 11

Montreal Alouettes
Montreal is 2-16 ATS in its last 18 games
Montreal is 1-17 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 9 games
Montreal is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Montreal is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games on the road
Montreal is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Montreal is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against OttawaOttawa RedBlacks
Ottawa is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games
Ottawa is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Ottawa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing Montreal

Edmonton (5-2) (-3.5, 54) @ BC Lions (2-4)— Eskimos won six of last seven series games; they split last four visits here, winning 35-29 in OT in last visit last October. Last three series games went over the total. Edmonton won its last three games, scoring 26-44-16 points; they’re 2-1 on road, with wins by 21-3 points, and a 20-17 loss in Toronto. Three of their last four games went under. Lions are 2-0 at home, 0-4 on road; they allowed 17-10 points in their two wins, 27+ in their losses- both their home games stayed under the total.

Hamilton (3-4) @ Winnipeg (4-3) (-6, 58)— Hamilton (-5) beat Winnipeg 31-17 at home June 29; total yardage was 480-280. Road team is 7-3 in last ten series games; Ti-Cats won four of their last five visits to Manitoba. Eight of last ten series games stayed under the total. Hamilton scored 38-31-50 points in its three wins; they scored 20 or less in their losses. Ti-Cats split their four road games. Blue Bombers scored 38+ points in all four of their wins; three of their last four games went over. Winnipeg won two of three at home, losing home opener to Edmonton.

Montreal (1-6) @ Ottawa (4-3) (-14, 50.5)— Alouettes got pummeled 50-11 in Manziel’s first CFL start last week; Als’ last three losses are by 39-21-17 points, but their only win was on road, 23-17 in Regina. Montreal lost its last six games against RedBlacks, losing four of five trips here, the last two by 20-5 points. Last six series games stayed under the total. Ottawa lost 42-41 last week in Toronto, their first loss this season when scoring 21+ points. RedBlacks’ last three games were decided by total of 11 points. Four of last six Ottawa games stayed under the total.

VANCOUVER — It was a tale of two halves at BC Place on Friday night, as the BC Lions reversed a 20-10 halftime deficit to earn a stunning 31-23 win over the visiting Edmonton Eskimos.

The Lions offence roared to life in the third quarter, while the defence allowed zero third-quarter first downs; the end result was 18-straight points and a Lions win on a night when hope initially seemed lost for the hosts.

Quarterback Travis Lulay completed 16 of 29 passes in the win for BC, throwing a touchdown and interception in the process.

The real story of the night, however, was the Lions defence, which limited Edmonton to just three second-half points and consistently stone-walled Mike Reilly and the Esks offence down the stretch.

The visitors struck on the first drive of the night, as Reilly capped an eight-play, 71-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Nate Behar — the latter’s first in the CFL — to open the scoring; Sean Whyte’s convert made it 7-0 Esks.

Emmanuel Arceneaux sparked the BC offence late in the first quarter, racing 39 yards on a pitch-and-catch with Lulay; the drive ultimately stalled, and the Lions settled for a 25-yard field goal from kicker Ty Long.

Edmonton then went into its bag of tricks early in the second quarter, converting a fake field-goal on a 3rd-and-6; Danny O’Brien shifted from holder to under centre, then found 288-lb. D-tackle Almondo Sewell for his first career reception.

Four plays later, Reilly snuck the ball over the goal line from the one-yard line for a touchdown — Whyte’s convert extended the Esks lead to 14-3.

Chris Rainey responded for the Lions later in the second quarter, accelerating then weaving his way to a 79-yard punt-return touchdown; Long’s convert cut BC’s deficit to four points.

The Lions thought they had taken the lead late in the first half, when Lulay connected with Bryan Burnham in the end zone — only to have the touchdown called back on a Jovan Olafioye holding penalty.

Edmonton turned the game on its head on the very next play, as Lulay dropped a fluttering screen pass into the hungry arms of Esks linebacker Korey Jones; the Wyoming product raced the ball down to the BC 15-yard line, where a diving Lulay prevented the touchdown.

The very next play landed the visitors in the end zone, as Reilly found Derel Walker behind the uprights for a major; Whyte curled his convert wide right, but the three-play sequence still resulted in a pivotal 13-point swing, and sent Edmonton to the locker room up 20-10.

Lulay and the Lions came out swinging to begin the second half, engineering a six-play, 72-yard drive that ended in the end zone via a nine-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Elliott; Long’s convert narrowed the lead to three.

BC then tied the game on its next possession, as Long drilled a 51-yard field goal to draw the hosts level.

Coordinator Mark Washington’s Lions defence continued to stymie the Esks, and BC took the lead on the final play of the third quarter: a long punt single by Long.

Momentum swung further in the Leos’ favour early in the fourth quarter, when Otha Foster sacked Reilly — knocking the ball loose in the process — and recovered the loose ball on the Edmonton eight-yard line.

Travon Van bounced outside on the very next play and found pay dirt, racing to a touchdown; the two-point convert fell incomplete, and BC’s lead stood at 27-20.

The Esks cut into the lead on the following drive, as Whyte booted a 40-yard field goal to narrow the gap to four.

Edmonton’s defence appeared to swing momentum back with five minutes to play, stripping Travis Lulay and coming up — Alex Bazzie specifically — with the loose ball.

That lasted all of one play, however, as Reilly’s first pass was tipped by Foster into the arms of Winston Rose; three plays later, a 34-yard kick from Long restored the seven-point advantage.

A further punt single from Long made it 31-23 and rounded out the scoring on the night.

With the Esks driving late, Garry Peters sealed the win for the Lions with an interception in his own end zone on a Reilly pass intended for Duke Williams.

With the win, BC moved to 3-4 on the season; the Lions will travel across the country in Week 10 for a Saturday afternoon date with the Argonauts (2-5) in Toronto (4 p.m. ET).

The win could be a turning point in the season for Wally Buono’s team, which is now a perfect 3-0 at BC Place on the season.

The loss dropped the Eskimos to 5-3, and Jason Maas’s team will now return home to face the Montreal Alouettes (1-6) next Saturday (7 p.m. MT, 9 p.m. ET) at Commonwealth Stadium.

HAMILTON (3 - 4) at WINNIPEG (4 - 3) - 8/10/2018, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in August games over the last 3 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
HAMILTON is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing on a Friday over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 3-2 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-2 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Friday, August 10

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hamilton is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Hamilton is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Hamilton is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Hamilton's last 6 games on the road
Hamilton is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Hamilton is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Hamilton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Hamilton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg

Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games
Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Winnipeg is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games at home
Winnipeg is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Hamilton
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Hamilton
Winnipeg is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Hamilton
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing at home against Hamilton

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Hamilton (3-4) @ Winnipeg (4-3) (-6, 58)— Hamilton (-5) beat Winnipeg 31-17 at home June 29; total yardage was 480-280. Road team is 7-3 in last ten series games; Ti-Cats won four of their last five visits to Manitoba. Eight of last ten series games stayed under the total. Hamilton scored 38-31-50 points in its three wins; they scored 20 or less in their losses. Ti-Cats split their four road games. Blue Bombers scored 38+ points in all four of their wins; three of their last four games went over. Winnipeg won two of three at home, losing home opener to Edmonton.

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers held off a comeback attempt from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to secure a 29-23 victory, the team’s third straight.

A pair of late penalties doomed the Ticats attempted rally as they ran out of time to put any more points on the board. Jeremiah Masoli threw for 251 yards and a touchdown and added 80 yards on the ground but it was not enough for the Ticats. Matt Nichols countered with 180 passing yards and two touchdowns while Andrew Harris led the Bombers in both rushing and receiving yards.

The Ticats opened the scoring early in the game but the Bombers would prove to be a step ahead throughout the night.

Hamilton’s opening drive began with Masoli hitting Jalen Saunders for a first down at midfield. Brandon Banks hauled in a 37-yard sideline pass to put the Ticats in the red zone. The Bombers defence stopped the Ticats just outside the endzone forcing and third and goal on the one-yard line but Alex Green punched in for the quick touchdown and the early 7-0 lead.

Nic Demski wasted no time to respond with a 56-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. The league’s leading rusher Harris added a 30-yard run and Nichols found Weston Dressler in the back of the endzone to tie the game.

The Winnipeg defence forced a fumble on the next Ticats possession, giving the ball back to Nichols in great field position. A facemask penalty moved the Bombers into the red zone and an offside call put them just outside the goal line. Harris notched a rushing touchdown on the next play, adding to the Bombers first quarter lead.

Now trailing, the Ticats defence recovered a Harris fumble to close out the first quarter but back to back sacks on Masoli halted any momentum.

A pair of penalties against the Ticats moved the chains for the Bombers offence and they added a 23-yard field goal to go up 17-7.

Chris Williams’ 22-yard grab put the Ticats on the right side of the field but the drive would end after Masoli fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Craig Roh. Winnipeg could not add any more points after the turnover. Pinned in their own end on the next possession, Hamilton gave up two points on a safety.

Neither team could move the football, trading possessions as the defences held strong. Justin Medlock missed a 54-yard field goal attempt with under a minute left in the first half.

Taking matters into his own hands, Masoli took off for a 36-yard gain that led to a Ticats field goal to cut the deficit to 19-10.

Nichols went back to work quickly completing first down passes to Darvin Adams, Daniel Petermann and Harris. That led to Demski hauling in a 37-yard touchdown grab and putting the Bombers up 26-10.

Needing to get some more points on the board midway through the third quarter, Masoli connected with Banks on a 24-yard gain. He followed that up with passes to Terrence Toliver and Luke Tasker which led to a Banks touchdown right on the goal line as the Ticats looked to keep the momentum rolling. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the Ticats were down 10 points.

Starting at midfield on their next drive, the Ticats offence kept marching downfield. Once again Banks came through with a 18-yard grab. Masoli went to his feet again for a 23-yard rush and Green knocked in his second major of the game to cut the lead to just 26-23.

The Bombers used a lot of the clock as they slowly made their way downfield. Chris Streveler pushed through in short yardage for a pair of a fresh set of downs before Petermann moved the chains even further. Medlock booted another field goal with 1:22 remaining to put the Bombers up 29-23 which proved to be enough for the win.

Next week the Bombers host the Ottawa REDBLACKS while the Ticats hit the bye week.

OTTAWA — The first and the worst in the East Division close out Week 9 of the CFL season as the Montreal Alouettes are on the road taking on the Ottawa REDBLACKS.

The Als are hoping to turn a corner as they approach the midway point of the season after a slow start to 2018. Montreal showed signs of promise in a gritty Week 3 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but bright spots for the squad have been few and far between ever since.

Montreal is 1-17 in its last 18 games, the poorest stretch of games in the history of the franchise.

This week the Als look to shrug off a 50-11 drubbing at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week. Hamilton took Montreal out of the game early by racking up 28 points in the first quarter alone, tying a CFL record for biggest lead through 15 minutes. In his much-anticipated CFL debut, Als quarterback Johnny Manziel completed 11 of 20 attempts for 104 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Montreal’s defence gave up 521 yards while the Ticats found the end zone seven times.

From a blocked punt that was run back for a touchdown to six total turnovers, it was a night when nothing went right for Montreal.

“It was a humbling experience,” Manziel told MonrealAlouettes.com after the game. “I made some very uncharacteristic throws, especially on the first drive. I did a bad job setting the tone.”

However, it would be far from fair to put all the blame on Manziel for the loss.

“We weren’t moving well,” said fullback Patrick Lavoie. “We weren’t creating enough separation between receivers and defensive backs. They were getting to the ball before us. That’s not normal when you’re on offence…. It started with an interception and I don’t think that’s Johnny’s fault. We had to start better than that.”

The Alouettes are ready to put the past behind them and move forward to facing the REDBLACKS. Montreal’s defence is aware that they have a tough task ahead of them going up against the likes of receivers Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli.

Linebacker Henoc Muamba says that the Als feel prepared to take on the REDBLACKS’ high-powered offence after a solid week of work.

“Our offence is really improving and we see it in practice,” said Muamba. “It’s encouraging for us on defence and it allows us to get ready.”

The East-leading REDBLACKS are also out for redemption after allowing a Week 8 win to slip through their fingertips.

Toronto Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw the game-winning touchdown with a second left on the clock to lift the Boatmen to a 42-41 victory at BMO Field. The REDBLACKS entered the final 15 minutes with a comfortable 18-point lead. However, Bethel-Thompson stayed composed in his first CFL start and found a way to put 22 points on the board in the fourth quarter.

Ottawa pivot Trevor Harris threw for 381 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the loss. Receiver Diontae Spencer had a game-high 145 yards on eight catches, also adding a major. Defensive lineman A.C. Leonard racked up seven tackles and one sack.

“We just didn’t end up making the plays to win the game and they did,” Head Coach Rick Campbell told OttawaREDBLACKS.com. “We certainly didn’t take our foot off the gas or anything. We were playing the game all the way through. We had a chance all the way up to the last moment to win the game and didn’t get it done.

“It was a very disappointing, tough one to get over. But obviously there’s a lot of football left to be played so keep moving on and move forward.”

In what many considered a surprising move, the REDBLACKS announced earlier this week that they had released international defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy. The 25-year-old was considered a prized free-agent acquisition and registered 29 tackles in seven games with Ottawa this season.

“It’s not something we just do blindly, or without a lot of thought going through it, so we think we’ve got a good group of DB’s here,” said Campbell. “We’ve got our guys from last year, plus we signed some guys this year, so starting the season we had an excess of good players. We’re just trying to find the sweet spot.”

After suffering an injury in practice and sitting out on Wednesday, Sinopoli is good to go against the Als. Sinopoli entered the week sitting third in receiving yards with 631 through seven games.

Ottawa has won its last five matchups against Montreal, including a three-game sweep last year. Ottawa is 9-4 vs Montreal since 2014.

Crunchin’ Numbers:

14 – Number of quarterbacks that the Alouettes have started since August 2013.

19 – Straight field goals made by REDBLACKS kicker Lewis Ward. Ward began his career with a 3-for-4 field goal performance in the season opener and since then has not missed a kick of any kind.

34.6 – League-high points per game being given up by the Alouettes.

52 – Receptions this season by Brad Sinopoli, the most in the CFL. He is on pace to make 134 catches in 2018, which would be the second highest single-season total in CFL history.

This will be the second of three meeting between the East Division rivals.

The REDBLACKS emerged victorious in the first bout back on July 6, picking up a 28-18 victory. Ottawa controlled the game from the start, leaping out to a 25-8 lead after the first half.

The Harris-Sinopoli connection was on display all night. Harris threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns while Sinopoli caught a career-high 11 passes for 148 yards.

The key to the Als stopping the REDBLACKS lies in slowing down Sinopoli. The Als defence is the only CFL team giving up over 300 passing yards per game on average. Montreal’s secondary will have to find a way to prevent Harris and co. from making big plays if they hope to avoid a Week 4 repeat.

Things cannot get much worse for Montreal in its dismal one-win effort through its first seven games. Manziel was less than impressive in his CFL debut, but things should start to slow down a bit this week against an Ottawa defense that is suddenly suspect coming off last week’s fourth-quarter collapse against Toronto. The one positive takeaway for the Alouettes was the 176 yards it gained on the ground in last week’s lopsided loss.

Ottawa blew a 24-point lead in the third quarter of last Thursday’s loss to the Argonauts. Quarterback Trevor Harris did his part with 381 yards passing and two touchdown throws behind a completion rate of 77.1 percent on 35 passing attempts. Running back William Powell was held to 35 yards rushing on 14 carries in that game. However, he is still ranked second in rushing overall in the CFL with 504 yards on 106 attempts.

Betting Trends

-- Ottawa has won its last five games against Montreal both SU and ATS with the total staying UNDER the closing betting line in all five matchups.

MONTREAL (1 - 6) at OTTAWA (4 - 3) - 8/11/2018, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-12.6 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) versus division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) off a division game over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 6-17 ATS (-12.7 Units) in games played on turf over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 6-1 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 6-1 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, August 11

Montreal Alouettes

Montreal is 2-16 ATS in its last 18 games
Montreal is 1-17 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 9 games
Montreal is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Montreal is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games on the road
Montreal is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Montreal is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Ottawa

Ottawa RedBlacks
Ottawa is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games
Ottawa is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Ottawa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing Montreal

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Montreal (1-6) @ Ottawa (4-3) (-14, 50.5)— Alouettes got pummeled 50-11 in Manziel’s first CFL start last week; Als’ last three losses are by 39-21-17 points, but their only win was on road, 23-17 in Regina. Montreal lost its last six games against RedBlacks, losing four of five trips here, the last two by 20-5 points. Last six series games stayed under the total. Ottawa lost 42-41 last week in Toronto, their first loss this season when scoring 21+ points. RedBlacks’ last three games were decided by total of 11 points. Four of last six Ottawa games stayed under the total.

After leading through much of the game and suffering a a heartbreaking last-second loss to the Argonauts in week 8, Trevor Harris and Ottawa REDBLACKS paid it forward to the Alouettes on Saturday, sealing their 24-17 victory in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

QB Trevor Harris finished one completion shy of tying Henry Burris‘ CFL record with 44 completions and just under 500 passing yards, while five Ottawa pass-catchers recorded at least 70 receiving yards in the victory.

The REDBLACKS came out swinging to start as Trevor Harris looked clinical, completing his first six pass attempts and marching his team down the field into the Alouettes red zone. Unfortunately for Harris and Ottawa, his final completion to FB JC Beaulieau was stripped and recovered by LB Chip Cox, ending a dangerous REDBLACKS drive.

Manziel and the Alouettes recorded a punt single to take the lead on their ensuing drive.

A fumble would again end the next REDBLACKS drive early; this time it was the sure-handed Brad Sinopoli who couldn’t hold on after the reception.

The Alouettes wouldn’t hold possession for long. Though Manziel was able to string together three straight completions, again a receiver was unable to hold onto the ball after the catch as Adarius Bowman was stripped and the REDBLACKS recovered.

After an ill-advised decision to return a deep punt rather than conceding a single, Manziel and the Alouettes stared down a very long field, starting the drive at their four-yard line. Manziel looked cool and collected when he looked deep on first and second down with on-the-money tosses to BJ Cunningham. But the receiver couldn’t pull in either pass, and the Alouettes were forced to concede the safety.

A rough half of turnovers continued on the REDBLACKS ensuing drive. This time it was a tipped pass which was snatched out of the air by DB Chris Ackie, who never looked back as he sprinted 37 yards for the game’s first major and an 8-2 Alouettes lead.

REDBLACKS K Lewis Ward continued his remarkable rookie season, cutting into the Montreal lead with his 20th consecutive field goal.

Montreal K Boris Bede would add another single for the Alouettes on a missed field goal late in the second quarter.

Looking to strike before the half, Harris and the REDBLACKS found themselves staring down third and short inside the Alouettes 10-yard line with 12 seconds left in the half. Rather than sneaking for the first down and potentially attempting another play or the field goal, QB Dominique Davis ran a naked bootleg on a fake sneak, but just missed his target in the end zone.

Manziel knelt out the clock and the Alouettes headed to halftime up 9-5.

The REDBLACKS offence came out firing to start the second half, with Harris continuing to rack up passing yards, eclipsing 300 for the game on the drive. After methodically picking his way through the Als defence, Harris found his namesake, R.J. Harris, for the rookie receiver’s first CFL touchdown on a nifty sideline catch. The two-point convert was unsuccessful.

A decent return from William Stanback on the kickoff gave the Alouettes the ball on their own 35, and Manziel got to work. The former Heisman Trophy winner took to the ground on the drive, scrambling twice for a combined 18 yards before finding Ernest Jackson for another first down. Manziel was mere centimetres away from recording his first CFL touchdown just seconds later, again using his rushing ability on a 17-yard scramble before getting hammered at the goalline and fumbling the ball. Luckily for Manziel and the Alouettes, the loose ball was recovered by C Kristian Matte and carried over the goal line for the touchdown, re-establishing the lead for Montreal.

After a quick defensive stop, the REDBLACKS offence took over, and Harris continued to pile up the yardage. It looked as if R.J. Harris would record his second career touchdown late in the drive, but the ball was thrown just behind him and Ottawa would settle for a game-tying field goal from Ward, who surpassed Luca Congi for the most consecutive field goals by a CFL rookie with 22.

After forcing the fifth straight Montreal two and out, Harris again led his team down the field with ease, finding Diontae Spencer for a big gain before two short completions to Greg Ellingson. The REDBLACKS finished the drive with four consecutive handoffs to RB William Powell, who ground away at the Alouettes defence before rounding the corner on his final carry and plunging into the end zone for the touchdown that sealed the victory for Ottawa.

Following the victory, the REDBLACKS will head west in week 10 to face Matt Nichols and the surging Blue Bombers in Winnipeg. The Alouettes will also head to the West Division, where things won’t get any easier as they square off against Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos.

— If you play fantasy football, buy the Warren Sharp football preview. Well worth it.

— Announced crowd at Mets-Marlins game Friday in Miami: 6,996.

— Kid named McKenzie on Denver had one of the best punt return TD’s I’ve ever seen last night; if he doesn’t make the Broncos, some other team will definitely sign him.

— Maryland put football coach DJ Durkin on administrative leave.

— Don Drysdale was the last Brooklyn Dodger who was active in the major leagues; he retired in 1969.

— Indians OF Leonys Martin has an undisclosed illness and is on the DL. He is in a hospital getting treatment; we wish him well.

Tweet of the Day
“They’ve got all these super nerds in the front office that know nothing about baseball but they like to project numbers and project players. … I think it’s killing the game. It’s to the point where just put computers out there. Just put laptops and what have you, just put them out there and let them play. We don’t even need to go out there anymore. It’s a joke.”
Former major leaguer Jayson Werth

Sunday’s quiz
Which major league team plays it home games in Petco Park?

Saturday’s quiz
Kelly Holcomb was the Cleveland Browns’ QB the last time they played in the playoffs.

Friday’s quiz
Butch Davis coached Cleveland Browns last time they made the playoffs, in 2002.

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Sunday’s Den: Notes, trends on AFC teams

Baltimore— Missed playoffs last three years, four of five years since Ray Lewis retired. Ravens are 6-2-1 vs spread on natural grass last two years. Since ’08, Ravens are 9-6-1 as road favorites in divisional games, 6-12 in non-divisional tilts.

Buffalo— Bills made playoffs LY for first time in 18 years, but now QB Tyrod Taylor plays for the Browns, and Buffalo’s three QB’s have a combined five NFL starts. When does rookie QB Josh Allen get the nod? Last three years, Bills are 6-2-1 as non-divisional home favorites.

Cincinnati— Marvin Lewis is 125-112-3 with Bengals, but 0-7 in playoff games. Over last decade, Bengals are 24-13-3 vs spread when playing an NFC opponent- surprisingly, they won seven of their last nine games with Baltimore. Under is 21-11 in their road games last four years.

For the record, Lewis may be 0-7 in playoff games, but the Bengals’ three head coaches before him were a combined 52-124 over 11 seasons.

Cleveland— Browns are 1-31 the last two years; since coming back to NFL in 1999, they’re 1-18 in season openers. Cleveland was a ridiculously-bad -28 in turnovers LY; having Taylor at QB will improve that a great deal. Last eight years, Browns are 21-39-3 vs spread at home.

Denver— Keenum will be Broncos’ 7th different #1 QB the last 12 years; they’re 5-2 as home underdogs last three years, vs 5-11 vs spread on the road. Denver was 1-7 on road LY, with only win at Indianapolis in December; previous six years, they were 31-17 on foreign soil

Houston— Texans scored 34-33-38 points in last three games rookie QB Watson played, but after his injury, Houston scored 16 or fewer points in 8 of their last 9 games. Last nine years, Texans are 6-11 as home underdogs; under O’Brien, they’re 9-3-1 when favored by 3 or fewer points.

Indianapolis— Andrew Luck returns at QB after missing LY; they change coaches after missing playoffs last 3 years (8-8/8-8/4-12). Last two years, Colts are 2-7-1 vs spread in games coming off a win, 13-8 in games coming off a loss. Frank Reich has never been a head coach before; he was the Eagles’ OC the last two years.

Jacksonville— Jaguars were +10 in turnovers LY as they made playoffs for first time in 10 years; can they force 33 takeaways again? Over is 15-8 in Jaguar home games the last three years. Last five years, Jax is 3-17 vs spread when playing an NFC team; they open with Giants this year.

Kansas City— Last three years, Chiefs were +14/+16/+15 in turnovers, but Alex Smith is gone, Patrick Mahomes (1 career start) is the starter now and KC’s turnover ratio figures to regress some this year. Chiefs were -3 in turnovers in 2014, the only time in Andy Reid’s five years in KC the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs.

LA Chargers— Bolts started out 0-4 LY, with three losses by 2 or 3 points; their kickers were terrible in September, and it cost them a playoff spot. Chargers made playoffs once in last eight years; they’re 9-13 as home favorites the last four years.

Chargers play in Cleveland in Week 6, then play in London against the Titans in Week 7, before their bye week. In Week 9, they play in Seattle and the next week they visit Oakland- tough five-week stretch.

Miami— Dolphins haven’t been in playoffs since 2008; their last playoff win was in 2000. Jay Cutler was Miami’s QB LY; now he’s on a reality show with his actress wife and Ryan Tannehill is back at QB. Miami is 5-2-1 as home dogs under coach Gase; they’re 5-15 vs spread in their last 20 games on artificial turf.

New England— Last time Patriots went out in their first playoff game was 2010; they’re 14-6-3 as home favorites the last three years, but NE is replacing DC Matt Patricia this year- he is the Lions’ new coach. Over last decade, Patriots are 24-10 vs spread when they’re coming off a loss. Last five years, NE is 3-9 vs spread as a road favorite in divisional games.

NJ Jets— Jets haven’t made playoffs since 2010; they were outscored 94-32 in losing their last four games LY. Will Sam Darnold start? Will they keep three QB’s? Two of their first three games this year are in primetime. Last four years, Jets are -29 in turnovers; they’re 15-8-1 vs spread at home the last three years.

Oakland— Jon Gruden already got rid of his punter and his kicker; special teams coach Bisaccia will have his hands full. Oakland hasn’t won a playoff game (0-1) since Gruden beat them in Super Bowl with Bucs 16 years ago. Last five years, Raiders are 13-6-1 vs spread as a non-divisional road underdog.

Pittsburgh— Steelers have had only three head coaches since 1969; they made playoffs last four years, but haven’t won Super Bowl since 2008. Last three years, under is 18-4-1 in Pitt’s away games. Since 2010, Steelers are 27-15-1 vs spread when coming off a loss.

Tennessee— Titans made playoffs for first time in nine years, then fired the coach; they’re 7-3-2 vs spread as home favorites the last two years, but 5-10-1 vs spread on road. Over last decade, Tennessee is 8-21-1 vs spread in AFC South road games.

Developing young QB Marcus Mariota will be QB coach Pat O’Hara, whose resume is fascinating— he played at USC, played and coached in the Arena League, was the #3 QB for the Miami Sharks in the movie Any Given Sunday, backing up Dennis Quaid and Jamie Foxx.

Quote of the Day
“While this transaction on the surface seems purely administrative, it caught us by surprise and is tremendously disappointing. Major-league starters have a strict routine that they adhere to that allows them to be successful; this roster move affects that. While the club may feel that they are doing what’s best for the organization, they also lose sight of the human element and how it will affect the player.”

Agent Tom O’Connell; his client (Phillies’ P) Zach Eflin is “being demoted” to AAA, even though he really isn’t, its a procedural thing. He won’t miss a turn in the majors, but he loses $20,000 in salary and nine days of major league service time because of it.

Tuesday’s quiz
How many current NFL head coaches used to play QB in the Arena League?

Monday’s quiz
Oregon Ducks play their home games in Autzen Stadium.

Sunday’s quiz
San Diego Padres play their home games in Petco Park.

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Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but…….

13) The offensive/defensive coordinators in Cleveland either aren’t getting along very well, or they staged this exchange for HBO’s Hard Knocks:

“Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson said rookie receiver Antonio Callaway played so many snaps Thursday as a punishment for his recent marijuana citation.

Rather than discipline a player by benching him, as coaches often do, Jackson told reporters Sunday that he decided to go in the opposite direction, playing Callaway even when he asked for a breather.

‘I was trying to make him play the whole game if we could. I did not want him to come out.'”

11) This tweet from former NFL RB Danny Woodhead:

“If I’m an undrafted rookie for the browns I’m gonna make sure i get in trouble before the next game! Playing all game just gives you an opportunity to make the team! This isn’t a punishment this is a gift!”

Alrighty then.

10) From Baseball Reference: David Bote’s walk-off grand slam for the Cubs Sunday night was the first “down 3-0” walk-off grand slam since Samuel Byrd (Reds) off Cy Blanton (Pirates) on May 23, 1936.

9) Cardinals are 16-9 under interim manager Mike Shildt; they’re back in the Wild Card race and there’s an increasing chance that Shildt will become the full-time manager for 2019.

8) Brooks Koepka is the first golfer to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year since 2000; his ranking is up to #2 in the world.

7) Chris Sale has an 0.69 ERA in his last 10 starts, striking out 109 in 65 innings; since June 8, hitters are batting .147 against him.

6) Not only are the Oakland A’s 36-12 in their last 48 games, their AAA team in Nashville has won its last 13 games, and is now 64-55 in the PCL. Sounds turned a triple play in their win on Sunday.

5) Chicago Bears finally signed LB Roquan Smith, their first round draft pick. Four years, $18M. Now the kid can get to work.

4) You can actually wager on who the starting QB’s will be at colleges whose teams have a QB controversy this summer, teams like Alabama, Florida State.

Wonder if anyone has a prop bet over where Jalen Hurts will transfer to if he isn’t the starter at Alabama after the Crimson Tide went 26-2 in his starts the last two years?

3) Why won’t the Mets bring 1B Peter Alonso? When your team sucks, its a good thing to give your fans some hope for the future by letting them watch young players play and hopefully develop into stars. Alonso hit .314 in AA, is hitting .260 in AAA, has 105 RBI between AA and AAA this year. I’m guessing Met fans have seen enough of Jose Bautista and Jose Reyes.

2) Giants’ rookie RB Saquon Barkley strained his hamstring in Monday’s practice. Not sure what exactly a “mild strain” means, but I know it ain’t good.

1) Jeez….Indians’ OF Leonys Martin has been battling a life-threatening bacterial infection that attacked his internal organs. He is currently in stable condition, and is improving.

-- Favorites went 2-1 SU in Week 9
-- Underdogs went 3-0 ATS in Week 9
-- Home teams posted a 3-0 SU record in Week 9
-- Road teams posted a 2-1 ATS record in Week 9
-- The 'Under' went 3-0 in Week 9

Analysis

BC Lions (3-4) started off Week 9 with a mild upset at home against Edmonton (4-3), snapping the season-best three-game winning streak for the Esks. While the Lions have won just twice in the past six games, they have been a tough out lately. BC has covered four straight outings. Both of these teams have been outstanding for total bettors, as the 'under' is 3-1 in the past four for the Lions, while going under in four of the past five for the Eskimos.

Winnipeg (5-3) has won a season-high three straight following their pushing aside of Hamilton (3-5) by a 29-23 score. The Ti-Cats were able to hang on for the cover at some shops, catching six and a hook, while it was a push at most others. The 'under' was a perfect 3-0 this week in the CFL, and that's been the play for Hamilton lately. The under is 4-1-1 over their past six, and 5-2-1 in their eight contests this season.

For the Blue Bombers, they failed to cover at home for the first time in four games, although officially it is considered a push this past week. It was also a rare under result, as the over was 5-2 in the first seven games for Winnipeg this season.

QB Johnny Manziel and the skidding Montreal (1-7) side put up a little more fight this week. They fell 24-17 at Ottawa (5-3), picking up just their third cover of the season against five losses.

The RedBlacks have been winning their fair share of games, but they continue to struggle against the number. They slipped to 1-4 ATS over their past five outings. Bettors continue to fade the RedBlacks, and for good reason, and a good parlay lately has been taking the oppositon and the under in Ottawa games. The 'under' is 5-2 over their past seven contests.

Team Betting Notes and A Look Ahead

-- The RedBlacks and Blue Bombers will do battle in Manitoba to kick off the work week on Friday night, as two 5-3 clubs square off. Despite their woes lately, Ottawa is still 22-7 ATS over their past 29 games on the road. However, they're just 2-5 ATS in the past seven following a straight-up win. The under is 5-2-1 in their past eight against winning sides, and 9-3 in their past 12 on the road.

-- The Bombers are an impressive 3-0-1 ATS in their past four games at homem, while going 15-3 ATS in the past 18 outings against teams with an overall winning mark. They're also 7-0-1 ATS across the past eight outings in the month of August, too. The over is 5-1 in Winnipeg's past six at home, and 10-2 in their past 12 against teams with a winning overall mark.

-- Toronto heads into their game against BC looking to turn things around against losing teams. Toronto is just 5-12 ATS over the past 17 contests against a losing record, and they're 3-12 ATS over the past 15 games in the month of August. Toronto has hit the over in four straight agaisnt teams with a losing record, too.

-- BC is looking to stay hot against the number in Toronto. They have covered in four straight trips to Hogtown, while the 'under' is 14-3 in the past 17 meetings in Ontario and 20-8 across the past 28 meetings overall.

-- Johnny Football and the Als will be in action on the road against the Esks in a tough battle. You can expect the home side to be favored by double digits in that one. Montreal is just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 on the road, although they did cover in Week 9 in Ottawa. They're still just 2-5 ATS in the past seven against teams with a winning record, and 5-16 ATS in the past 21 overall.

-- The 'under' has connected in six straight road games for the Alouettes, while going 7-2 in the past nine overall. The over is 7-2-1 in Edmonton's past 10 against teams with a losing record, but the under is 3-1-1 in the past five contests overall. The Esks have covered eight of the past nine meetings overall against the visitors from Quebec. The over is 10-3-1 in the past 14 meetings, while going 6-2 in the past eight in Alberta.

-- Calgary (7-0) puts its unblemished record on the line at Saskatchewan (3-4), with both sides coming off a bye. The Stamps have posted a 5-2 ATS mark this season, but just 1-2 ATS over the past three. The Roughriders are 2-5 ATS across their past seven against teams with a winning record, and they're 1-5 ATS in the past six against Western Conference foes. Calgary is 15-5-3 ATS in the past 23 following a bye, while Saskatchewan is 6-2 ATS over their past eight off a rest week.

-- The Stamps have covered six of the past seven against the Riders, while going 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to Regina. The under is 5-1 in the past six meetings, but the over is 5-2 in the past seven meetings in Saskatchewan.

In a shortened Week 9 schedule in the CFL, British Columbia got things started on Thursday night with a 31-23 upset against Edmonton as a three-point home underdog. Friday’s contest in Winnipeg ended as a PUSH with the Blue Bombers squeezing past Hamilton 29-23 as a six-point favorite at home.

The betting action came to a close on Saturday night with Ottawa getting the win at home against Montreal straight-up in a final score of 24-17, but the RedBlacks came nowhere close to covering the heavy 14-point closing spread.

Ottawa regained its two-game lead in the East Division with Hamilton’s loss. It will be tested this week after posting an even 2-2 record (SU and ATS) in its first four road games this year. Trevor Harris ended last week’s game against Montreal with a ridiculous 487 yards passing while completing 44 of his 54 passing attempts. Greg Ellington led the way with 11 receptions for 110 yards.

The Blue Bombers held off a Tiger-Cats fourth-quarter rally to secure last week’s win that now has them in a tie with Edmonton for second place in the West. Matt Nichols did not have his best day throwing the ball with 180 yards passing on a completion rate of 54.2 percent, but he did throw a pair of touchdowns to raise his total on the year to seven. Andrew Harris added another 82 yards on the ground behind 16 rushing attempts.

Betting Trends

-- Winnipeg has a 10-5 SU edge over Ottawa in the last 15 meetings and it has gone 8-3 against the spread in the last 11 matchups. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last six meetings.

BC remained in the thick of the playoff race in the West with last week’s upset and it is now a perfect 4-0 ATS in its last four games. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in three of those four games. This was the first time this season that the Lions put up more than 30 points behind an offense that is averaging 22.4 points per game. Travis Lulay led the second-half comeback and he finished the game with 239 yards passing and one touchdown throw.

Toronto is coming off a Week 9 bye after stunning Ottawa 42-41 on a last-second score the week before as a 6 ½-point home underdog. The total went OVER 48 points in that game and it has gone OVER in the Argonauts last three games. James Franklin has taken over the reins at quarterback and in six starts he has just two touchdown throws against six interceptions.

Betting Trends

-- BC has gone 6-1 both SU and ATS in its last seven road games against the Argonauts and the total has stayed UNDER in seven of the last eight meetings in Toronto.

Johnny Manziel is firmly in place as Montreal’s starting quarterback with mixed results. After a forgettable debut in a 50-11 loss to Hamilton, he showed a few glimpses of his athletic ability in last week’s loss to Ottawa. He ended that game with 168 yards passing while completing 16 of his 26 passing attempts. He also ran for 36 yards on three rushing attempts. The Alouettes remain the lowest scoring team in the CFL with an average of 15.0 PPG.

The Eskimos’ recent three-game winning streak came to a sudden end last Thursday night and they are 2-3 ATS in their last five games. The total ended as a PUSH on the 54-point line against BC after staying UNDER in three of their previous four games. Mike Reilly threw for 302 yards in that loss with two touchdown throws and two interceptions. He leads the CFL in touchdown passes this season with 16.

Betting Trends

-- Edmonton brings a SU five-game winning streak against Montreal into this inter-division clash with a 8-1 edge ATS in the last nine meetings. The total has gone OVER in eight of the last 11 matchups.

The Stampeders’ 27-18 victory over BC heading into last week’s bye was the first time this season they failed to win a game by a double-digit margin of victory. In their dominating run to a perfect 7-0 start, they have averaged 29.4 points scoring. Even more impressive is Calgary’s 86 total points allowed on defense. This defense has yet to give up more than 22 points in any of its first seven games.

Speculation continues to build that Saskatchewan will add former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens to its active roster after releasing CFL star Duron Carter over the weekend. He has played both defensive back and wide receiver at a high level in this league. The Roughriders are also coming off a bye following back-to-back losses (SU and ATS) to Calgary at home and Edmonton on the road.

Betting Trends

-- Calgary has won nine of the last 10 meetings in this West Division tilt SU and it is 7-1 ATS in the last eight games between the two. The total has gone OVER in five of the last seven meetings in Saskatchewan.